Resignation Etiquette Tips and Advice

If at all possible give resignation notice to your employer, write a simple resignation letter, and be prepared to move on prior to submitting your resignation.

It's good resignation etiquette to tell your supervisor you are resigning before you tell your co-workers. You don't want the company to discover that you're quitting through the grapevine.

Giving two weeks notice is standard practice when resigning from a job.  However, if you have an employment contract or union agreement that states how much notice you should give, follow those contract guidelines.

Otherwise, unless there are circumstances that make it impossible to stay, good resignation etiquette includes providing your employer with two weeks notice. Here's a sample resignation letter giving two weeks notice.

How should you resign from your job? How about what you shouldn't do when turning in your resignation? I've seen resignations handled both ways - really well and really badly, including when an employee yelled "I quit!" and walked out the door and, in another case, where an employee left a note on her supervisor's desk saying she wasn't coming back.

Here are resignation etiquette do's and don't so you can avoid resignation etiquette mistakes and resign the right way.

It's always better to resign in person, then follow up with a formal resignation letter for your employment file. However, if circumstances are such that you need to send a resignation email, here's how to resign via email.

It's not good resignation etiquette to resign over the phone. However, if you are unable to resign in person, quitting over the phone or via email is an alternative.

Do keep in mind, if you tender your resignation over the phone and don't plan on working any more days, it may cost you a reference. Here's how to resign over the phone if you have to.

Here's how to say farewell to colleagues and clients to to let them know that you are resigning from your job.

When you resign from a job, it's important to check on compensation due, your last paycheck, benefits, pension plans, and possible references. Use this resignation checklist to make sure you've got everything covered.

How you write a resignation letter is important, because it usually isn't easy to resign and stay on good terms with the company you are leaving. It's important to include information on when you are leaving.

It's also important not to say too much in your resignation letter. Review these sample resignation letters to get an idea of what to include in an employee resignation letter.

How you write a resignation letter is important for a couple of reasons. First of all, you may need a reference from the employer in the future, so it makes sense to take the time to write a professional resignation letter. It's also a document that will become part of your employment file and it should be written accordingly.  Review these resignation writing tips.

Before you quit a job, you should be very sure that you want to resign. Hating your job might not be a good enough reason to quit unless you have another job lined up.

That said, there are legitimate reasons for quitting your job. There are also circumstances beyond your control where quitting may be the option. Here are good reasons to resign.